Inquiry Project 3Amy Williams

CEP 80611/18/2007

The Setting• Amy Williams

– 6th grade science teacher interested in integrating appropriate technology into my curriculum

Lost in Space• What technology is appropriate when?

– Jay Chiat took the idea of a virtual workplace too far

– Did not consider that some tasks are best suited for certain modes of interaction

Berger, W. (February, 1999) Lost in space. Wired. (7), 2.

The Inquiry• 3 modes of interaction

– Face-to-Face– Synchronous– Asynchronous

Face-to-Face• Egg Drop experiment

– “Construct a package for an egg that will prevent it from breaking when dropped from 8 feet above a hard surface”

Face-to-FaceTrials 1, 2, & 3 were unsuccessful

Face-to-FaceSuccess on Trial 4

Face-to-FaceSuccess on Trial 4

Clicking on the picture will take you to a websitewhere the videos of the experiment are stored.

The Presentation of Selfin Everyday Life

• “Face-to-face interaction may be roughly defined as the reciprocal influence of individuals upon one another’s actions when in one another’s immediate physical presence.”– Changed course of action due to Jamie’s

inputGoffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. New York: Doubleday.

Introduction

Synchronous• Tower of Pencils

– “Construct the tallest possible free standing tower”

SynchronousTower of Pencils: Check point

SynchronousTower of Pencils: Final Product

Amy: 28 1/8” Dan: 25”

Like a Version: Playing with Online Identities

• “When you’re online, there is no race, gender, disability”– Agree that this isn’t always true, but does

begin to level the playing field– Special needs students, students from

diverse backgrounds

Burbules, N. C. Like a Version: Playing with Online Identities. Educational Philosophy and Theory, Vol. 34 No. 4 (2002): 387-393.

Asynchronous• Catapult Challenge

– “Construct a catapult that produces the longest average distance on three consecutive throws”

AsynchronousAmy’s first attempt

AsynchronousAmy’s first attempt

AsynchronousAmy’s first attempt

• Trial 1: 5'3"

• Trial 2: 3'10"

• Trial 3: 1'2"

AsynchronousKaren’s catapult

AsynchronousAmy L. & Karen’s results

• Amy L.– Trial 1: 5' 5”– Trial 2: 6’2”– Trial 3: 6’6”

• Karen– Trials ranged

between 6’ and 9’

AsynchronousAmy’s Revised Catapults

2nd Revision Final Catapult

AsynchronousAmy’s Final Results

• Trial 1: 6’0”• Trial 2: 5’9”• Trial 3: 5’10”

Karen is the winner!

Ideas quicklyexchanged

Face-to-Face

Synchronous Asynchronous

Immediate feedbackClear communicationGood for building personal relationships

No real sense of partnershipRequires more disciplineWait hours/days

Possibilities for

miscommunication

Some sense of collaborationWait seconds/minutes

Can do science!

What’s appropriate?

Face-to-Face Synchronous Asynchronous

Best suited for activities that

require a partnership;

Extra set of hands

Activities that have time constraints

Manipulate on yourown, but require

feedback to progress

Extended time period

Work independently,but share ideas,

results, & conclusions

What technologycan I use?

Face-to-Face Synchronous Asynchronous

No technologyrequired

Computer/InternetDigital cameraVideo camera

E-mailChat

Instant MessengerVideo-conferencing

equipment

Computer/InternetDigital cameraVideo camera

E-MailMessage board

BlogWiki

Collaborative documents, i.e. Google Docs/Zoho

Looking Toward Cyberspace:Beyond Grounded Sociology

Cyberspace and Identity• Concept of “multiplicity;” “flexible self”• “ ‘Good parenting’ must shift away from an emphasis

on confirming a child in a ‘core self’ and onto helping a child develop the capacity to negotiate fluid transitions between self states”– Is this something for teachers to consider?

• More students are involved in synchronous & asynchronous interactions than ever before

• Prepare students to be thriving citizens in both real & virtual world

Turkle, S. (1999). Cyberspace and Identity